Means for steering a side car attached to a motor-cycle.



W. A. JAMES.

MEANS FOR STEERING A SIDE CAR ATTACHED TO A MOT OR CYCLE. APPLICATIONFILED JUNE 30. 1915. RENEWED JAN. 9. l9l7.

1,223,173. Patented A rrn, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

m: mmms Pzrsns cm, mum. WW-m: D. C.

W. A. JAMES.

MEANS FOR STEERING A SIDE CAR ATTACHED TO A MOTOR CYCLE.

APPLICATION ,HLED JUNE 30, i9l5. RENEWED MN. 9119!?- Patented Apr. 17,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WILLIAIVI'ARTHUR JAMES, 0F COWBRIDGE, WALES.

MEANS FOR STEERING A SIDE CAR ATTACHED TO A 'IVIOTOR CYCLE.

PatentedApr. 17, 1917.

Application filed June 30, 1915, Serial No. 37,275.. Renewed January 9,1917. Serial No. 141,498.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ARTHUR JAMES, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Stafford House, Cowbridge, in the county ofGlamorgan, Wales, builder, have invented a new and useful Improved Meansfor Steering a Side Car Attached to a Motor-Cycle, of which thefollowing is a.

specification.

This invention relates to means for steering a side-car attached to amotor-cycle and has for its primary object to transmit the angularmovements of the motor cycle to the wheel of the side car, therebyfacilitating the turning of the car around corners.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a motor cycleand side car constructed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating a modified construction of thesteering means.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the mounting of the wheel of the side car, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view to an enlarged scale of the steering gearconnecting the side car with the motor cycle.

Referring to the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, thesteering pillar or fork l of the motor cycle a is provided with atoothed segment 2 while the front portion of the side car 6 is providedwith a similar segment 3 pivoted upon the car or chassis 0 and meshingwith the segment 2 on the steering pillar or fork 1. The wheel (Z of theside car is mounted upon one end of an axle e the opposite end of whichis pivoted to the side-car or chassis and the said axle is connected bya rod 4 to the toothed segment 3 at the front of the car. When thesteering pillar is actuated by its handle a the angular movement thereofis transmitted through the toothed segments and the connecting rod tothe axle of the side car so that the wheel of the side-car is caused tomove synchronously with the front-wheel of the motor cycle. manner thewheel of the side-car is maintained parallel with the front wheel of themotor cycle, thus facilitating the steering of the vehicle, especiallywhen turning corners.

According to the modification illustrated in Fig. 2 the fork 5 of themotor cycle a is provided with a toothed sector 6 which meshes with atoothed rack 7 mounted to slide in a guide 8 fixed to an extension 0 ofIn this the side member 0 of the side-car chassis 0. The rack 7 isconnected by means of a rod 9 to one arm of a lever 10 pivoted upon thetransverse member 0 of the chassis, while the other arm of the saidlever 10 is connected by means of a rod 11 with an arm 12 which extendsfrom a bridle 13 supported upon the axle 14 of the side-car wheel d. Theupper end of the bridle 13 is suspended from a pivot-pin 15 mounted atthe outer end of an upwardly extending and outwardly bent arm 16provided on the outer side-member 0 of the chassis 0; To maintain thesector 6 in engagement with the rack 7 the rack-slide 8 is providedwitha laterally extending arm 17 formed at its outer end with an eye .18which works upon a curved bar 19 provided upon the toothed sector 6. Thearm 17 may be rigid or may be a spring arm to afford a resilientconneotion between the sector 6 and the rack 7. 7

On moving the steering handle a of the motor cycle a the sector 6 movestherewith and actuates the rack 7 forward or backward according towhether the steering handle is moved to the left or to the right hand.The actuation of the rack 7 moves through the rod 9 the lever 10 whichin turn actuates through the rod 11 the arm 12 of the bridle 13 whereinthe wheel 03 of the side car Z2 is mounted; the-wheel al being therebycaused to move angularly with the front wheel a of the motor cycle a.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

, 1. The combination with a motor-cycle and a side-car of a toothedsector movable angularly with the steering wheel of the motor cycle, atoothed member movably mounted upon the chassis of the side car and inmesh with said sector, a wheel pivotally mounted upon the said chassisso as to be capable of angular movement and means connecting saidtoothed member with said wheel on the chassis for transmitting themovements of the former member to the said wheel, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination with a motor-cycle and a side-car, of a toothedsector movable angularly with the steering wheel of the motor-cycle, arack mounted upon the chassis of the side-car and actuated by saidtoothed sector, a side-car wheel, a member carrying the axle of theside-car wheel, said member being pivotally mounted upon the side-carchassis and means connecting said member carrying said Wheel with saidrack, substantially as set forth.

8. In a motor-cycle With side-car, the combination With atoothed'segment mounted on the steering pillar of the motor-cycle, atoothed segment pivotally mounted upon the chassis of the side-car andmeshing With the segment upon the said steering pillar, a

Wheel axle pivoted at one end upon the W WILLIAM ARTHUR JAMES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

